You can make the BEST Tomato Bruschetta at home with a few simple, fresh ingredients. It's so easy! The tomatoes, basil, and garlic turn the simple bruschetta toasts into a delicious summer appetizer. This Bruschetta Al Pomodoro recipe uses a few ingredients to make a classic Italian easy appetizer! Included in the post are our wine pairings for this incredible and authentic Italian antipasto!
2tablespoonred onion, finely chopped (optional) - see note 2
3tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
½-¾teaspoonsalt(cooking salt/kosher salt)
½teaspoondried oregano
10-12basil leaves
For the bruschetta
1crusty Italian loaf or baguette- see note 3
¼cupextra virgin olive oil
2clovesgarlic
To serve
extra virgin oilve oil
salt
fresh basil
Instructions
For the topping
Cut tomatoes in half, then cut each half into quarters lengthways. From here chop the tomato into small ⅖" (1cm) dice.8 tomatoes
Place the tomatoes in a non-metallic bowl.
Add in the finely chopped onion (if using), then drizzle over the olive oil. Stir to combine.2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Season the mixture with salt, oregano, and then tear in the basil leaves. Give the mixture a final good stir and set the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes but for up to 2 hours.½-¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon dried oregano 12 basil leaves
For the bruschetta
Cut the loaf into slices (around ½" (1.25cm) thick).span class="ingredient-colour">1 crusty Italian loaf or baguette
Brush each side of bread with the oil, then either broil/grill or use a griddle pan until the bread is crispy and golden. This will take around 3-4 minutes a side.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Alternatively, you can bake the slices on a rack in the oven (450°F /230°C) for 6-7 minutes. Keep an eye on it, as it can go from underdone to burnt very quickly.
While the bread is still warm, take the garlic clove and rub it over the crispy bread. Repeat with all the slices.2 peeled garlic cloves
To serve
Arrange your warm bread on a plate and then drizzle each slice with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Remove your tomato topping from the fridge, taste, and add more salt if needed. Pile a spoonful of the tomato topping onto each bruschetta and serve immediately.
Notes
Use the freshest and ripest tomatoes you can, they will have the sweetest purest flavor. I like to use Roma tomatoes.
In Italy, the addition of raw red onion comes down to each individual family recipe and how their Nonna used to make it! There is only a small amount of onion in the recipe, and it starts to "cook" slightly when left to sit in the juice of the tomatoes, but feel free to leave the onion out if you find the taste of raw onion too strong.
You want to use a good rustic style loaf for this. Something like a Pane di Casa or a crusty artisan loaf is perfect! Day-old Ciabatta can be a great choice too. Some of the sourdough loaves are fabulous as they are so dense they make great crispy sturdy toasts, so they hold up well to the tomato juice!
Make-Ahead
Although bruschetta doesn't want to be assembled ahead of time as the bread starts to go soggy. You can make the toasts and the topping a couple of hours beforehand. Just keep them separate until you are ready to serve. Add a little extra fresh basil to the tomatoes before you pile it on the bruschetta, and re-warm the bread in the oven before assembly.